Why is Boston Cream Pie called a pie when it's clearly a cake?
Who really invented chili?
What famous dishes were discovered by accident?
To Tom Harte, for whom food is a consuming passion, questions like these are not half-baked. For 10 years he has been writing culinary reflections on such matters for the Southeast Missourian, the largest newspaper between St. Louis and Memphis. The cream of this reflective crop, covering topics as diverse as Peeps and pate a choux, and their attached recipes are included in this volume.
Some of the essays delve into the history of food, like the one about lebkuchen, arguably the oldest cookie in the world. Others, dealing with culinary queries and curiosities, attempt to explain the nomenclature of food or the logic behind common recipe conventions. Still others pay homage to great gourmets like Thomas Jefferson, August Escoffier, or Julia Child, or to great ingredients like butter and brown sugar. He also includes a culinary exam and a lesson on how to write a recipe.
Whether he's championing the virtues of funnel cake or recounting his experiences judging a national pie contest, Harte is often whimsical, always informative, and never uninteresting. His over-200 carefully selected recipes will be a welcome addition to anyone's files.